Flexible hole ball

ABSTRACT

A ball that is pliable, seamless, flexible and durable that has a seamless, uniformly thick outer shell and where the shell has one or more holes through the outer shell such that the ball is soft and because of the design it does not fly very far.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application claims priority to previously filed provisionalapplication No. 61/409,542, filed Mar. 11, 2010. The present inventionrelates generally to the field of balls for sports and otherrecreational activities. In particular, the present invention relates toa ball for use in practicing sports. The ball of the present inventionincludes a hollow seamless shell defining one or more holes. The ball ofthe present invention is highly durable and returns to its sphericalshape when deformed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Practice is essential to improving one's proficiency at sports. Forexample, softball and baseball batters develop their skills byparticipating in batting practice. The same is true for all ball sports,including softball, baseball and golf. Obviously practice is extremelyimportant for baseball and softball as can be evidenced by the multitudeof batting cages and the number of products available to help battersachieve better performance. Also, practice is true for golf as well ascan be evidenced by the plethora of driving ranges and practice fieldsthat exist around the world. A major problem with using a regulationball for batting and swinging practice is that the ball typicallytravels great distances when hit by batters, hitters or golfers. Thismeans that in order to avoid property damage large spaces are requiredfor practice. It is expensive to design and build these types of hittingfacilities and is also expensive for the player to use these facilities.Therefore, it is a goal of this invention to provide a product thatwould allow athletes a way to practice their swing without requiring agreat deal of space.

Another of the main goals of this invention is to provide a soft,pliable, virtually indestructible ball that is designed so as to travelshorter distances when hit that will accommodate use in confined spacesand will also enhance strength and conditioning in the user.Additionally, because of the ball's unique design it will fly shorterdistances and the shorter the distance traveled by the ball will thusrequire less retrieval time by the user.

The ball of the present invention is designed mainly for use whenpracticing batting, hitting or swinging. A hole ball, or practice ballwith holes, currently exists and even though there are many differentexisting practice balls, none of them are structurally the same as thepresent invention and none of them offer the benefits of the presentinvention. In particular, many existing holed balls are made from hardplastic or rubber and are manufactured in such a way that the balls havea two piece welded seam along which they are likely to rupture whensubjected to acute contact (e.g., when stepped on or when struckrepeatedly). These balls are manufactured in two pieces, or sides. Oncethe sides are manufactured they a welded together. This is due tomanufacturing limitations that do not allow for a single, rigid ball tobe manufactured in one piece. However, this past limitation has recentlybeen overcome and currently there is a single pieced, seamless holedball available in the market. Yet, this ball is still rigid, stiff andinflexible and still is subject to denting, breaking and eventuallybecoming useless.

The ball of the present invention is a hollow, pliable, seamless holeball. The closest prior art of which Applicant is aware are the ballsused in WIFFLE® BALL and PICKLE-BALL®. However, those products are notpliable whereas the ball of the present invention is pliable and soft.Additionally, these types of balls are usually seamed and tend to breakapart. Additionally, these existing balls are typically very light. Thistrait has several drawbacks. First, it is extremely difficult to usethis type of ball in windy conditions. Next, because existing balls areso light they are difficult to throw. Also, when they are hit or struckthey feel different due to their light weight. This causes the user tohave a different feeling when practicing with these types of balls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a highly durable, pliable, soft, holed, hollowball that is designed to return to its spherical shape when deformedthrough contact such as hitting, striking or kicking. The ball of thepresent invention can also withstand more intense contact withoutrupturing or losing its shape. In fact, the ball of the presentinvention is specifically designed to deform and to then continuallyreturn to its original shape. The ball of the present invention allowsthe user to develop the strength and coordination needed to excel atsports while eliminating the need for a large and/or outdoor practicefacility. The ball is constructed from materials that are pliable,durable and environmentally-friendly. The ball of the present inventioncan be made in multiple sizes for use in a variety of sports, includingsoftball, baseball, cricket, soccer, tennis, golf and any other sport inwhich a ball is used. The ball of the present invention can also be usedin recreational activities or for training purposes and can beeffectively thrown or hit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects of the present invention will become readilyapparent by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevated view of the highly durable hole ball.

FIG. 2 is a view of the hole ball when struck.

FIG. 3 is a view of the hole ball when squeezed by hand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ball of the present invention includes a holed shell designed towithstand contact without rupturing. The construction materials and thedesign of the ball of the present invention are chosen such that whenstruck the ball will travel a much shorter distance than a rigid holedball. The ball of the present invention is made from pliable, flexible,durable environmentally safe material that is continuous and thus noseam exists anywhere on the ball. It is also substantially heavier thancurrently existing balls.

The holed ball of the present invention is uniform in thickness. Thisshell material is also soft and resilient so that when struck anddeformed it will continually return to its original shape. Because thematerial is soft it will not injure a player if he is struck by the ballor when it is caught. Also, it is virtually indestructible. In apreferred embodiment the outer wall of the ball is made from a PVC,non-phthalate material. It is all preferable that the material becontinuously uniform in thickness with the wall thickness being at leastone millimeter or more. However, this outer wall may be thicker orthinner than this preferred dimension and it is noted that any differingwall thickness will not detract from the inventive scope of product.

This shell is also somewhat heavy. Currently used balls of this designare typically around 15 to 20 grams. The weight of the present shell issubstantially heavier than this with a preferred weight being between 70to 80 grams. However, it could be heavier or lighter depending on thethickness of the material used. Also because the material is equallydistributed about the ball it has uniform weight that enables the ballto fly straighter. Also because of this additional weight a user is ableto throw the ball further, straighter and longer than the currentlyavailable plastic holed ball.

Also because of this unique design the ball feels more like a real ballwhen either thrown or hit. This allows for a more life-like feeling whenused during practice. This is important for all sports, especiallybaseball, softball and golf. Furthermore, when the ball is hit theenergy is absorbed into the ball and thus if flies a shorter distancewhen struck while still providing a more real, life like feeling to theuser. Finally, this unique ball is safer to use indoors due to the factthat it is soft.

This outer, continuous shell is molded, or blow formed into a ballshape, thus creating a hollow inner cavity. After forming the ball has asolid outer surface. That is, it is formed in one piece and not two,eliminating the need to fuse or weld separate halves together. Currentlyin order to create the present ball the holes must be cut in the outershell in a separate process. This new process will use special cuttingtools and is hoped to make manufacturing more cost efficient and shouldeliminate another manufacturing step.

One of skill in the art will appreciate the fact that the holes increasethe drag that the ball experiences when struck. Also, the pliability ofthe construction materials causes the ball to undergo anenergy-absorbing deformation when struck. This causes further shorteningof the ball's flight path. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the holes arespaced symmetrically across the hollow shell. However, it is noted thatthe hole configuration may be modified and is not limited by the presentdisclosure and description. Any number of hole patterns could beutilized and in fact, the holes could be any of a number of designs orpatterns and are not limited to a circular hole shape. Further, thenumber of holes is not limited. That is, there could be one or moreholes in the ball and there is no limit to the final number of holesadded.

It is readily apparent that the features described above have theadvantage of wide commercial utility. It should be understood that thespecific features described are intended to be representative only, ascertain modifications within the scope of these teachings will beapparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the dimensions couldbe varied. Accordingly, reference should be made to the claims indetermining the full scope of the invention.

1. A ball, said ball comprising: a pliable, seamless outer shell; andone or more holes through said outer shell.
 2. The ball of claim 1wherein said outer shell is resilient.
 3. The ball of claim 2 where theball is highly durable.
 4. The ball of claim 3 where the ball haslimited flight path when struck.
 5. The ball of claim 1 where said outershell is made from a PVC, non-phthalate material.
 6. The ball of claim 5where said PVC, non-phthalate material outer shell has a wall thicknessthat is at least a 1 mm thick.
 7. The ball of claim 2 where said outershell has uniform thickness.
 8. The ball of claim 2 where said ballweighs at least 20 grams or more.
 9. The ball of claim 2 where said ballweighs at least 70 grams or more.
 10. A manufacturing process tomanufacture the pliable, seamless holed ball of claim 1 such that saidholes are incorporated into the outer shell during manufacture.